Question What type of seat should my daughter be in

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silverstar91579

New member

• Jun 27, 2012

• #1

She will be 4 July 29. She weighs 38 lbs and is 38 inches tall and I live in tn. And drive a dodge minivan with two single seats in middle where she rides please any info is helpful. I had bought her a no back booster from walmart that said 30-100 lbs but my friend told me today she did not need to be in that till 6 yes old but the seat says nothing about age

 

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Jessica61624

New member

• Jun 27, 2012

• #2

Your friend is correct. Ideally she should be in a harness until at least 5. The Britax frontier 85, graco nautilus, evenflo maestro or evenflo secure kid are all great options for her age.

 

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Mommy!

Active member

• Jun 27, 2012

• #3

It might say 30lbs but for safety's sake she needs to be in a harnessed safety seat until at least 40lbs, at the bare minimum!

Besides most 4 yr olds are simply not ready developmentally to be able to be able to sit in a proper position in a booster, even when sleeping for example. Not to mention not big enough for the seatbelt to fit properly and safely either, which is critical with a booster. For example we just moved our daughter, R., from a harnessed seat to a booster a couple of months ago, when she outgrew the weight limit, and she just turned 6 years old this month.

I'm sure someone can help with specific brand suggestions that will work best for you.

 

creideamh

Well-known member

• Jun 27, 2012

• #4

Short version: A 3 year old is not going to sit properly in a booster (especially not a backless booster.) Your friend is right- most kids are barely able to sit still in just a highback booster til at least 5. Not only that, but a lot of boosters won't make the lap belt and/or shoulder belt fit correctly on that young of a child, and they just aren't developed enough to be protected by only a seatbelt. A forward-facing 3 year old should be in a 5 point harness (spreads crash forces), like an Evenflo Maestro, Graco Nautilus, etc (although ideally a 3 year old would be rear-facing.)
Lots of other people will chime in

ETA: also, you said she rides in the middle seats- do these seats have lap/shoulder belts? Or lap-only belts? You cannot use a booster with a lap-only belt (and shouldn't use a lap-only belt on anyone, EVER.) You can install harnessed seats with a lap-only belt, however.

 

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Jan06twinmom

New member

• Jun 27, 2012

• #5

silverstar91579 said:

She will be 4 July 29. She weighs 38 lbs and is 38 inches tall and I live in tn. And drive a dodge minivan with two single seats in middle where she rides please any info is helpful. I had bought her a no back booster from walmart that said 30-100 lbs but my friend told me today she did not need to be in that till 6 yes old but the seat says nothing about age

Click to expand...

For a soon-to-be 4 year old, a harness car seat would be the safest option. 4 years is the absolute minimum for a booster seat, but most children aren't mature enough to sit in a booster seat until they are closer to 6 years old.

When you move your daughter to a booster seat, I would also recommend that you get her a high back booster. It offers some side support and also helps position the seat belt properly on her shoulder. My 7.5yo DD rode in a no back booster recently and she didn't like it because she didn't have the side support.

What car seat do you currently have for your daughter? We might be able to give you an idea about whether she still fits in her current seat. If she is outgrowing her current car seat, we can give you some recommendations about some seats that will work for her until it is time to move her to a booster seat. Let us know if you have a specific budget.

Melanie

 

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silverstar91579

New member

• Jun 27, 2012

• #6

Well the booster I have is the cheap 15$ one from walmart. I am currently unemployed and due to have a baby boy next month. I only bought the booster in a hurry and that was all the money I could spend about three months ago when her father up and left and took her toddler harness carseat ( because he caught it ) this new baby us also his. But anyway thank you all for your information I am gonna do my best to find another harness carseat I do have one that was given to me for baby but it says it is for forward and rear facing but it says the weight limit is 35lbs and her shoulders are about an inch over top of harness. And the two seats are like the front two seats they do have lap and shoulder belt together. The van does have a built in seat but I don't trust it at all because my van is a 1999. It's all I could afford when he up and left me

 

Dmcj13

New member

• Jun 27, 2012

• #7

See if you can contact a local safe kids Coalition, they might be able to help you find a proper car seat. http://www.safekids.org/in-your-area/coalitions/list.html?localstate=TN&state=TN

 

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Kaitsmom

New member

• Jun 28, 2012

• #8

Where are you located? Sometimes people know people who can help you out.

Is the seat for your son new? Which ine is it?

 

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mylittlet

Senior Community Member

• Jun 28, 2012

• #9

We had built-in carseats in our 1997 voyager minivan. They went to 50#. We used them. Our van had been my parents before we got it.

It would be best if you knew the history of your built-ins, but you might want to try her in them. We have been told that built-in seats don't expire like carseats because they are seatbelt material and usually have no plastic. The important thing is to make sure the seat works the way it should. Making sure the harness is in good condition.

 

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silverstar91579

New member

• Jun 28, 2012

• #10

I live near Jackson tn. And no the carseat I have for my baby is not new but it's in good shape and don't expire until dec 2015 it's a safety 1st

 

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silverstar91579

New member

• Jun 28, 2012

• #11

Also the built in that is in this van at the top where I could tighten or loosen the straps it seems to be broke somehow and I can't afford to have it looked at right now but I plan to once I go back to work

 

Brianna

New member

• Jun 28, 2012

• #12

I second contacting Safe Kids. If there's an agency in your area that gives seats to low income families they'll be able to give you that information. If that doesn't work out, are there any family members or close friends that would be willing/able to pitch in on a seat for her?

Sent from my DROID4 using Car-Seat.Org

 

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mylittlet

Senior Community Member

• Jun 28, 2012

• #13

Check find a tech on the right. There are a bunch of techs in Jackson. I would call around and see if any of them can help you with a seat for your oldest.

http://cert.safekids.org/